Rui Hachimura did not have a great start to the current season. He played a major role in helping the Los Angeles Lakers reach the conference finals last season. Later, on the first day of free agency, the Lakers extended his contract to another three years. Now, the Japanese is worth $51 million for three years. Later, in the offseason, Hachimura trained with LeBron James. Moreover, the King called the Gonzaga product his “Understudy.”
Hence, it raised expectations for the Lakers Nation regarding the Japanese forward. But the Lakers did not have the start they imagined this season. Neither Austin Reaves nor Rui Hachimura performed as well as they would have hoped. On the other hand, the Lakers are struggling with injuries very early in the season. Moreover, the latest name on the Injured List is Rui Hachimura. The doctors said he would stay out for at least a week.
Lakers Will Miss Rui Hachimura For At Least A Week
On Wednesday, during the game against the Dallas Mavericks, Hachimura sustained a nasal fracture. Moreover, the Lakers announced that the doctors did a procedure on Rui Hachimura to repair his nose. They will re-evaluate him a week later. Anyhow, the Lakers forward did not have a great start to the 2023-24 season. He played in 12 games and averaged 11.8 points. However, that is his third-highest-scoring career average. As per the National Health Service website of the UK, it takes naturally three weeks for a broken nose to heal completely. However, it is still unclear as to how severe the nose injury of Rui Hachimura is.
New story: Rui Hachimura – who had started to find a rhythm after an early-season concussion – will miss at least a week because of a nasal fracture, further depleting a Lakers team that's already had its depth tested https://t.co/sWtCLSjTK4
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 24, 2023
Only the re-evaluation within a week can provide some light to the whole situation. Moreover, the current season has really tested the depth and balance of the LA side very early. The only Lakers players who have been available for all 16 games so far and stayed healthy are Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Christian Wood. It is fair to say that the Lakers had a pretty erratic start this season. So far, they had been through two three-game winning streaks and one three-game losing streak.
Injury Concerns for The Lakers Are Rising
Only LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been in good form this season. The top two stars have ensured the Lakers maintain a winning streak. Currently, the Lakers are 9-7. Moreover, they are unbeaten in the inaugural season of the NBA Cup. On top of that, the LA side has reached the quarter-finals of the in-season tournament. But the area where the Lakers can’t stop worrying about is their Injured List. Now, that list is just getting longer.
Moreover, the Lakers had been facing injury issues since the preseason. At first, Jarred Vanderbilt sustained heel bursitis. He had to stay out for at least a couple of weeks. Later, the new Laker, Gabe Vincent, sustained a knee injury. The Lakers doctor advised him to stay out for a couple of weeks, too. Both Vando and Vincent will need the doctors to re-evaluate to get the green signal to play again. Moreover, Anthony Davis missed a game due to a hip injury. On top of that, Jalen Hood-Schifino is on the list too.